Football: Short Essay on Football

Meaning

Football is a team sport which involves two teams playing with one ball, following a pre-decided set of rules for scoring points against each other.

There are many geographical and national variations in the way the game of football is played today. It is also called by different names in different regions for e.g. Soccer [or European style football], American or Canadian football, Rugby football, etc. are some of the variations of football.

There are some differences but also many similarities in the way football is played in all formats. There are two teams of approximately ten to fifteen players. They play the game in an open space called as a football court, which is of pre-fixed dimensions in each game format.

Game and rules

The game involves two teams that are opponent teams and they compete with each other to score points over each other. The game is generally of a fixed time period and the team that scores the maximum number of goals against the opponent team wins. The football court has two goal posts, one at each lengthwise end of the court. Each team guards its goal post in its half of the field. The objective of the opponent team is to pass the football ball across the field, either by kicking it with their feet or by holding it in their hands and running or by passing it from one player to the other. After passing the ball across the field, the team is supposed to kick or pass the ball through the goal post or the plane of the goal post of the opponent team to score a goal. They players are not allowed to use any external instruments like in hockey, polo, etc. to move the ball. They are only supposed to use their body parts, depending on the football format for the particular game.

Soccer, American football and Rugby

In Soccer the ball is passed by kicking with your feet, whereas in American football and Rugby you hold it in your hands and run across the field. The shape of the ball is also different in all three formats.

Football is a widely popular and enjoyed game in all regions of the world.